<p>Filipino ambassador in Kuwait Renato PO Villa speaks during a press conference at the Philippines embassy in Kuwait City. Yasser Al-Zayyat / AFP Photo</p>
<p>Filipino ambassador in Kuwait Renato PO Villa speaks during a press conference at the Philippines embassy in Kuwait City. Yasser Al-Zayyat / AFP Photo</p>

Kuwait asks Filipino ambassador to leave



Kuwait announced it would expel the Philippine ambassador and recall its envoy from Manila after videos emerged of its embassy staff conducting "rescue operations" for Filipinos fleeing from allegedly abusive employers in the capital.

This comes despite the Philippines apologising for what Kuwait called "a breach of their sovereignty".

News agency KUNA said the Philippine ambassador had been given a week to leave oil-rich Kuwait, adding tension to a spat between the two nations triggered by the discovery of a Filipina's body in an abandoned apartment in Kuwait City.

One clip shows a man rushing to assist a woman into a black vehicle carrying diplomatic licence plates, while another depicted a person running from what looked like a construction site and speeding off in a car.

Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Al Jarallah said on Tuesday that the embassy had violated the country's sovereignty and that it failed to work with the local authorities.

The Philippines’ Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano apologised for the rescue operations, admitting that although most rescues were conducted in co-operation with the Kuwaiti police, some “emergency” cases were launched by embassy staff alone.

"I apologise to my counterpart and we apologise to the Kuwaiti government, the Kuwaiti people and the leaders of Kuwait if they were offended by some actions taken by the Philippine embassy in Kuwait," he told reporters in Manila.

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Read more:

Death sentence for Joanna's killers sends strong message

Domestic workers still face 'abuse and fraud' in the Middle East says leading UN body

Murder shocks Filipinas in Kuwait, but some vow to stay

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Two embassy workers involved in the operations were arrested in Kuwait and are being held by the authorities, according to Kuwait News Agency (Kuna).

Tuesday's apology follows the work ban placed by Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte, whose move to ban workers from an Arabian Gulf country is not unprecedented.

The Philippines government imposed a similar ban on the UAE last year after reports emerged of workers being abused.

Mr Duterte alleged that some Arab employers routinely abuse their Filipina workers, force them to work up to 21 hours a day and feed them scraps.

Mr Duterte has since engaged in negotiations, most recently meeting with the Kuwait ambassador to the Philippines. Prospects of a worker agreement are under way, with the president previously saying he will visit Kuwait to witness the signing of the accord.

The Philippines' ambassador to Kuwait has also offered a public apology after he made comments about his diplomatic mission's efforts to help Filipina housemaids in the Gulf nation.

Renato Villa read from a statement in Kuwait City on Tuesday.

He said that Mr Cayetano had also apologised to Kuwait "for the actions that were undertaken by the embassy … to assist Filipino nationals in grave distress here in Kuwait but which the government … found unacceptable”.

About 10 million Filipinos work abroad and the money they send back is a lifeline of the Philippines economy.

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The specs: 2019 Subaru Forester

Price, base: Dh105,900 (Premium); Dh115,900 (Sport)

Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder

Transmission: Continuously variable transmission

Power: 182hp @ 5,800rpm

Torque: 239Nm @ 4,400rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 8.1L / 100km (estimated)

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

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Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

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Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

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Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Company&nbsp;profile

Company: Verity

Date started: May 2021

Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif

Based: Dubai

Sector: FinTech

Size: four team members

Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000

Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors

THE SPECS

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At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

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